Scientific Culture at AgroParisTech

Issues related to climate, biodiversity, and major pandemics are increasingly seeping into our daily life each day. To respond to the demand for information on these issues, general curiosity, and the expectations of a broad public, AgroParisTech has decided to open documentation and information centers, places in which scientists and various audiences can meet and share experiences. 

Science outreach programs make it possible to focus on the debates are seemingly everywhere in today’s society. Politicians, scientists, artists, engaged citizens, practitioners, pupils, and students are all invited to come and dialogue with researchers. Offering diverse points of view makes these encounters fertile and allows scientific culture to fully seep into our knowledge-oriented society. 

Participatory research programs are also an invitation to take part in scientific research alongside professionals. Everyone can thus become involved in different ways, such as sharing precise information that will populate a data bank, or, even earlier in the scientific process, participating in the very definition of new themes of research. This kind of participation in scientific research enables ordinary people to achieve a better understanding of how research unfolds, and therefore, to better find their bearings in the maze of information that trickles down to them about scientific issues. 

In addition, AgroParisTech has made extensive resources available to the general public (a photo library, video documentaries, MOOCs, etc.), as well as a large network of specialized libraries. These many resources help illustrate and deepen AgroParisTech’s defining fields of study: agriculture and forestry, processing of food and non-food products, sustainable management of natural resources and the environment, human health. All of these topics are vital to ensuring that people are able to participate in discussions and develop informed opinions at a time of major scientific and technological choices.